Lessons Learned In Turning Knotty Green Cherry Bowl
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I have a bunch of fresh green cherry. All of it has been ripped in half and the ends sealed with end grain sealer.
But before it dries too much, I want to turn a bowl. However, my selected piece of wood has some issues. The biggest issue is a broken limb coming out from one side. The limb is a combination of old dry shattered wood, green wood, end grain. I don’t know how deep this mess goes.
Maybe I should have cut it away before turning or trashed the block of wood to begin with. That is certainly an option.
However, I’ll work the issues as they come to bear. In this case, this approach did not pay off.
The bowl is cherry with walls just under 3/8″ about 8″ in diameter and 2″ tall. The wood is still very green and the bowl feels wet and heavy. It is sanded with beeswax and mineral oil. I’ll store it for a month in a paper bag to moderate its micro climate. Then I expect it will have warped to some degree, but it will also feel dry and much lighter.
Good turning.
Alan,
Just watched this terrific video. This is my favorite kind of turning. I just came home from a week in the Adirondacks (upstate New York). Brought home 8 half logs of a maple that had blown down in the fall. They were from pieces originally 13″ in diameter, and I cut them about 18″ long to allow for some checking. After cutting out the centers, I’m left with pieces about 5 1/2″ deep. Looking forward to cutting bowl blanks tomorrow, and perhaps turning a few rough right away. I’m hoping to get 12″x5″ bowls out of them.
Great move. You cannot beat the feeling of streaming shavings from green wood.
Enjoy